Washington, D.C. - Hurricane Maria affected 3.4 million and more than 100,000 of our fellow Americans in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands (USVI) , stranding many without shelter, food, electricity, and services. They are disconnected from the rest of the world and facing a humanitarian crisis of catastrophic proportions. All of Puerto Rico and the USVI lost power, hampering communications and complicating recovery efforts. Without clean drinking water, power or services, hope is running out and lives are at stake. It is essential that they get the resources they need to start recovering as quickly as possible.

This disaster has already claimed 20 lives in Puerto Rico and the death toll is expected to rise. Another 70,000+ people are also in danger of flooding if a dam in the Northwestern part of Puerto Rico collapses.

"Never in the history of Puerto Rico, the USVI, or the United States has a hurricane left so many without electricity, water, communications, or fuel", said Voces leader, Dr. Juan Declet-Barreto. "The measures taken by the U.S. Government to date are simply not enough to protect the lives of millions of American citizens and more must be done.”

While we appreciate efforts to ease FEMA requirements and the recent temporary waiver of the Jones Act, there remains an urgent need to immediately take the following measures to ensure the security of the population in Puerto Rico and the USVI:

- Order the Department of Defense to provide helicopters and other resources to relief and rescue to Puerto Rico.

- Provide an initial emergency spending package to Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands clean and free from rollbacks of environmental protections. Like the aid packages approved for Texas and Florida, the 3.4 million and more than 100,000 Americans who live in Puerto Rico and the USVI need urgent life-saving aid.

"Much more needs to be done right away and local recovery efforts must inform next steps. However, the urgency of saving lives now cannot be understated," said Irene Vilar, Executive Director of Americas for Conservation+Arts.

The priority now is to save lives and restore basic services. Once this phase is complete, we must ensure that the reconstruction of the power grid, drinking water and other infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the USVI be carried out in a sustainable manner with a focus on building resiliency against flooding and the effects of climate change.

Luis Martínez, Senior Attorney and director of Southeast Energy for NRDC added, "This tragedy provides an opportunity to rebuild Puerto Rico and the USVI’s water and electric infrastructure in a resilient and sustainable way. Climate change is causing more intense and devastating hurricanes like Maria and places like Puerto Rico and other coastal areas must reduce their vulnerability to ensure that communities are prepared and protected against future climate challenges."